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Reviews of Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

Winter Solstice

by Rosamunde Pilcher

Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher X
Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
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  • First Published:
    Aug 2000, 464 pages

    Paperback:
    May 2001, 500 pages

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Book Summary

Plagued by loneliness, regret, abandonment, and loss, fate will unite 5 people in a dilapidated estate house in Northern Scotland.

With each new novel, Rosamunde Pilcher always returns with new ways to dazzle her readers. Pilcher's unique ability to combine eloquence and compassion creates characters that truly reveal the way we all live and love. Winter Solstice not only has the warmth and emotion her fans have come to expect, but delivers a fresh tale of tragedy and renewal that will undoubtedly draw a whole new audience to this remarkable novel.

With Winter Solstice Rosamunde Pilcher brings her readers into the lives of five very different, but equally intriguing people. Plagued by loneliness, regret, abandonment, and loss, fate will unite them in a dilapidated estate house in Northern Scotland. It is in this house, on the shortest day of the year, that these five people will find each other, and ultimately find themselves.

Elfrida

Before Elfrida Phipps left London for good and moved to the country, she made a trip to the Battersea Dogs' Home, and returned with a canine companion. It took a good-and heart-rending-half-hour of searching, but as soon as she saw him, sitting very close to the bars of his kennel and gazing up at her with dark and melting eyes, she knew that he was the one. She did not want a large animal, nor did she relish the idea of a yapping lap-dog. This one was exactly the right size. Dog size.

He had a lot of soft hair, some of which fell over his eyes, ears that could prick or droop, and a triumphant plume of a tail. His colouring was irregularly patched brown and white. The brown bits were the exact shade of milky cocoa. When asked his ancestry, the kennel maid said she thought there was Border collie there, and a bit of bearded collie, as well as a few other unidentified breeds. Elfrida didn't care. She liked the expression on his gentle face. She left a donation ...

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Reviews

Media Reviews

People Magazine
With its tender prose and evocative descriptions of the bitter but beautiful Scottish countryside, Solstice becomes an occasion to celebrate as well.

Booklist
In this much anticipated new novel by Pilcher, a master at depicting English life, the characters range from those in the twilight of their days to those just starting out..... Pilcher has crafted a charming and thoughtful book rich in engaging characters that makes the ordinary seem extraordinary and warms the heart like a good cup of tea.

From Library Journal
What lifts this saga above melodrama is the author's skill at creating believable, multifaceted characters with rich inner lives who sustain one another with good sense and gentle humor. Highly recommended.

Kirkus Reviews
The enduringly popular Pilcher (Coming Home, 1995, etc.) holds fast to a theme that has all but disappeared from American fiction: The healing comforts of domesticity and companionship.

Publishers Weekly
The author of The Shell Seekers has penned another romance sure to give fans the warm fuzzies, even though it's set in the north of Scotland in winter.

Reader Reviews

Julie Slaughter

Great Read!
I would recommend this book because it is simple, yet beautifully written. I would have loved for the book to continue!
bob

A good story and reminder of why I read
In 'Winter Solstice' five people are brought together in a small village in northern Scotland...Elfrida, Oscar, Carrie, Lucy, and Sam...and it was Christmastime. I give this book my highest recommendation: I have read and re-read it. The first time ...   Read More
Laurel

This book started out slowly, however I was soon engrossed in the engaging saga of the characters.
I find that Rosamunde Pilcher seems to get inside of her characters and brings them to life! I can see
everything that happens.

Wonderful book and a ...   Read More
Katie

I have read The Shell Seekers and am now nearing the end of Winter Solstice. I love the way the characters come together and how Rosamunde Pilcher joins them. I will be sad to finish this story and will feel as though I have lost friends.
I have ...   Read More

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